The invention is related to the fields of assistive technology, orientation and mobility (O&M) and informational aids/systems for those with blindness or other forms of vision loss. For many years there have been attempts to provide systems that would inform a blind or visually impaired (B&VI) pedestrian as to their location, direction of travel and the environment surrounding them. Many of these more current systems employ radio frequency (RF) transponders and make a positive example of the inadequacies of many of these attempts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,294 describes an apparatus including a portable RF transceiver carried by the user and a stationary base RF transceiver unit. The portable RF transmitter transmits a message request signal in response to manual activation of a transmit button by the user. Finding the transmit button while simultaneously orienting within an environment challenges a B&VI pedestrian, and the use of a large number of transmitters located within any city environment appears unfeasible with expanding complex electronic and telecommunication devices.
There are apparatuses based on white canes for the B&VI that incorporate other technologies, such as sonar and laser technology. Both work as obstacle or hazard detectors for the B&VI traveler. However, neither hazard detection component has been incorporated into a white cane with other modem advancements, such as barcode systems, global positioning satellite (GPS) or laser technologies.
Similarly, there are devices available that scan and/or identify products through the use of the Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode system. Presently however, there are no such devices that access B & VI persons to general product information through audio output, and only one device will scan and read via audio output a UPC on specific drug containers (insulin). There are also devices that will identify via audio output the colors of objects or products. However there are currently no such devices that will, through audio output, identify both product UPC codes and colors through a combined scanning audio output system.
Persons who are B&VI have varying levels of difficulty in finding or accurately orienting themselves to any given location. For B&VI travelers, identifying a current location, orienting within a strange or subsequently new environment or locating a potential small objective is problematic. Locating a particular street or building, a street address or block number or any smaller objective during daily mobility are difficult objectives for vision-impaired pedestrians. These O & M tasks however, are of primary importance during any B & VI traveler's daily activities. The ability to negotiate safe orientation within a subsequent environment is the secondary yet no less important objective of a blind traveler's O & M. The final common objective during O & M is often the location and identification of small objectives. A B & VI pedestrian may have difficulty finding a certain street or address, then have problems locating a bus stop, entrance, doorway or bus route sign, and once these objectives are completed, problems arise in locating or identifying secondary micro-environmental objectives, such as restroom entrances, product storage areas or specific small objectives like individual products or the color of said products or items.